Trump Expresses Optimism on Iran Denuclearisation
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that the denuclearisation of Iran was progressing well, expressing optimism about the diplomatic process despite Iran's absence from direct high-level negotiations involving senior US officials in Qatar.
Speaking to reporters as he departed for North Dakota to visit the newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Trump said discussions on Iran's nuclear programme had advanced positively following recent US military action on the Islamic Republic over strikes on transiting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's Remarks on Military Action and Diplomacy
"As far as things are going, the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well. They've had very good meetings, and we'll see. We hit them very hard for three nights. But we're getting along very well. So I call it denuclearisation. It's all taking place. It's all going well," Trump said.
The US President also asserted that Iran had changed its position following the recent strikes. "They've come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. They're fine. We're going to get it. It's the denuclearisation of Iran," he added.
US Stance on Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
Reiterating Washington's longstanding position on Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Trump said Iran would not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, all of this stuff that we look at, all of these things that we do, the country has never had activity like it's got right now," he said.
Trump's remarks come even as Iranian officials have not participated in direct high-level talks with the United States in Doha, Qatar. According to CNN, US and Iranian officials are instead holding indirect, lower-level technical talks in Doha through Qatari and Pakistani mediators.
Indirect Negotiations in Doha
CNN also reported, citing a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions, that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Qatar's Prime Minister in Doha on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the indirect negotiations, though neither is participating in the talks themselves.
